JP2016523081A - Method for producing dark brown natural cacao - Google Patents

Abstract

A natural dark brown cocoa product is disclosed. A method for producing such a natural dark brown cocoa product is also disclosed, and a food product containing such a cocoa product is also disclosed. In each of the various embodiments, the present invention discloses a method for producing a “natural” cocoa product that serves to meet this need and has the color of an alkalized cocoa product. Also disclosed are cocoa products made by such methods. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

This application claims priority to US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 839,100, filed June 25, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Incorporated by

TECHNICAL FIELD Disclosed are methods for producing natural cocoa products. Disclosed are natural cocoa products, including but not limited to cocoa liquor, cocoa powder, and food products containing such cocoa products.

Background of the Invention Processing of cocoa beans consists of fermenting the harvested beans, drying the beans, peeling the beans to produce the nibs, sterilizing the nibs, roasting the nibs. Crushing the nibs into cocoa liquor, and optionally squeezing the cocoa liquor to obtain cocoa butter and cocoa powder.

  Traditionally, natural cocoa products are light brown in color and have a pH in the range of 5.1-6.0. A typical L value of 10 g of natural cocoa in 30 grams of water, measured with a Hunterlab colorimeter, is 20 or more and the a and b values are 8.5 or more.

In order to make the cocoa product a darker and more reddish color, a certain amount of some alkali is added in the alkalinization process. Alkalization is a process of alkalizing a cocoa product under a certain amount of water vapor, at a constant temperature, optionally under pressure, for a fixed time. The alkalizing treatment occurs in the presence of sodium, potassium, ammonium or magnesium hydroxide or carbonate, such as, but not limited to, potassium (K ₂ CO ₃ ). The alkalinization treatment changes the flavor, color and solubility of the cocoa powder in water.

  The current commercial demand for cocoa manufacturers is to produce cocoa products in a wide variety of colors, flavors, or both. Each manufacturer understands that manipulation of processing conditions such as temperature, moisture content, processing duration and pH will affect the color and flavor of the cocoa powder produced, but it is always desirable color. There is still no general consensus on how to make cocoa products with flavor, or both.

  Although an alkalinizing treatment can be used to produce darker and / or more reddish cocoa products, the presence of an alkalizing agent also affects the display of such cocoa products. Such alkalized cocoa products are often labeled as “treated with alkali”. Therefore, the presence of an alkalinizing agent means that such cocoa products cannot be considered “natural” and consumers are looking for “all-natural” products. Most are light brown.

  As such, there is a growing need for cocoa products that have the color of alkalinized cocoa products but are nevertheless considered “natural”.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In each of the various embodiments, the present invention serves to meet this need and discloses a method for producing a “natural” cocoa product having the color of an alkalized cocoa product. Also disclosed are cocoa products made in such a manner.

  In one embodiment, a method for producing a dark brown natural cocoa product includes the steps of mixing a cocoa cake and water to produce a mixture, subjecting the mixture to high pressure, and drying the mixture. Dark brown natural cocoa products are not alkalized.

  In further embodiments, the natural cocoa product has an L value of about 10 to about 15, an a value of about 4 to about 6.2, a b value of about 3.5 to about 6.0, and a pH of less than about 6. Have

2 is a graph illustrating the L value of dark brown natural cocoa for various embodiments of the present invention in a compound coating. 2 is a graph showing the a value of dark brown natural cocoa for various embodiments of the present invention in a compound coating. 2 is a graph showing the b value of dark brown natural cocoa for various embodiments of the present invention in a compound coating. 2 is a radar chart showing taste evaluation of a compound coating made of dark brown natural cocoa of various embodiments of the present invention. 2 is a radar chart showing taste evaluation of cakes made with dark brown natural cacao of various embodiments of the present invention. 2 is a radar chart showing taste evaluation of puddings made with dark brown natural cocoa of various embodiments of the present invention. 2 is a radar chart showing taste evaluation of ice cream made with dark brown natural cacao of various embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one embodiment, rich natural cocoa is produced. This dark natural cocoa can be dark brown. The cocoa can be a cocoa cake or a cocoa powder.

In a further embodiment, a method for producing a rich natural cocoa comprises the steps of mixing a cocoa cake and water to produce a mixture, subjecting the mixture to high pressure, and / or drying the mixture. The moisture content of the mixture can be from about 26% to about 35%. Water, less than about 125 ° C., can be heated to a temperature of or about 190 ^° F. to about 250 ^° F to about 85 ° C. to 120 ° C..

  In another embodiment, the cocoa cake and water mixture can be subjected to a pressure of, for example, about 5 to about 25 psi. The mixture can be reacted at this pressure for a period of about 30 minutes to about 200 minutes. The mixture can also be dried, for example under atmospheric pressure or reduced pressure. The cocoa cake can also be ground into cocoa powder, which can have a fineness of 98% minimum through a 200 mesh screen.

  In some embodiments, the cocoa cake can be of West African origin, and in other embodiments it can be of other origins.

  In yet additional embodiments, the nibs, shelled beans, or combinations thereof are sterilized.

  In further embodiments, cocoa nibs, shelled beans, or combinations thereof can be ground to produce cocoa liquor. The cocoa liquor can be separated into cocoa butter and cocoa press cake, or the cocoa liquor can be defatted. This cocoa press cake can be further ground to cocoa powder.

  In another embodiment, the natural cocoa product of the present invention has about 15.0, 14.0, 13.0, 12.0, 11.0, 10.0, 9.0, 8.0, 7.0. , 6.0, 5.0, less than 4.0, or have a dark color that means a cocoa product having an L value (including intermediate values of these values). The L value can also be from about 10 to about 15. The a value can be about 4 to about 6.2. The b value can be from about 3.5 to about 6.5. The calculated C value can be about 5 to about 10. The calculated H value can be about 42 to about 49.

  In yet another embodiment, the natural cocoa product of the present invention has a pH of less than about 6, a pH of about 3 to about 6, a pH of about 4.5 to about 6, or a pH of about 5 to about 6.

  In one embodiment, the starting material of the method described herein refers to any suitable cocoa bean fragment / product from which the shell has been substantially removed, broken and / or blown away. Can be shelled cocoa beans. Non-limiting examples of shelled cocoa beans include, but are not limited to, nibs, kernels and cotyledons. Shelled cocoa beans typically contain only a few contaminated shells that are within commercially acceptable errors. This is because the shelling process is not 100% complete.

  In an additional embodiment, the cocoa beans used to produce the natural cocoa products of the present invention are fully fermented. In a further embodiment, the cocoa beans used to produce the natural cocoa product of the present invention are poorly fermented or unfermented.

  In one embodiment, the natural cocoa products produced herein are suitable for many commercial purposes, including but not limited to food products. Examples of foods include chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, baking chocolate, candy, praline, truffle, candy bar, flavor syrup, confectionery coating, compound coating, filling, beverages, dairy products, milk, ice cream , Beverage mix, smoothies, soy milk, cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, pies, diet bars, solid foods and beverages for meal replacement, energy bars, chocolate chips, yogurt, yogurt beverages, puddings, mousses, moles, bitterness Examples include, but are not limited to, chocolate with a filling such as chocolate, yogurt and / or cheesecake.

  Many objective methods for measuring the color of cocoa products are known. One method, the Hunter color system or CIE 1976 (CIELAB) and similar systems, can describe the color in terms of the following three parameters: Lightness (L)-light or dark appearance of the color, The lower the L value, the more cacao powder will appear darker; Saturation (C)-the intensity of the color to distinguish bright or dull colors, the higher the C value, the more vivid the powder And hue in everyday language such as hue (H), red, yellow or blue. In the case of cocoa powder, a low H value indicates red and a high H value indicates brown.

The CIE 1976 color system describes colors in terms of L coordinates, “a ^* ” coordinates, and “b ^* ” coordinates. The L coordinate coincides with the lightness value, and from the a ^* and b ^* coordinates, the saturation and hue can be calculated as follows: C ^* = {square root of (a ^{* 2} + b ^{* 2} ) }, H = reverse tangent (b ^* / a ^* ).

  The spectral color is caused by the light source and the reflective surface. Light sources are standardized for good reproducible color measurements. There are two basic approaches to measuring color: visual approach or instrumental approach. Humans tend to trust only their own eyes. For this reason, the color is still often judged visually. In order to be able to do this in a reproducible way, it is necessary to meet several standard conditions: a light source, such as but not limited to a CIE standard light source; the position of the sample relative to the light source, preferably 45 to each other. Angle of °; sample background, uniform and preferably grey; distance between eye and sample and position of eye relative to sample; and sample size.

  In practice, a color cabinet is used with a standard light source for visual color measurement. A colorimeter and spectrophotometer are used for color reading by a measuring instrument. In the examples of the present specification, a Hunterlab colorimeter was used to measure 10 g of natural cocoa in 30 g of water and perform color measurement using a measuring instrument. Unless otherwise indicated, all references herein to color values and color values L, a and b are readings using a Hunterlab colorimeter. The color parameters described in this specification are L, a and b readings, and C and H values were calculated. In the sense that color measurements can vary from spectrophotometer to spectrophotometer and typically can vary in the range of +/− 0.5 for L, a, b, C and H values. The color values listed in the specification are approximate values. Accordingly, the values stated for L, C and H are intended to include such spectrophotometer specific variations.

  The following examples illustrate various non-limiting embodiments of the compositions within this disclosure and are not intended to limit the invention unless otherwise described or claimed herein. .

Example 1
The non-alkalized cocoa cake was treated with water at a level of 27% to 35% at a pressure level of 5 psi to 22 psi and a treatment time of about 30 minutes. This process was carried out in an industrial scale reactor typically used for cake alkalizing processes. Various test conditions are shown in Table 1.

  After treatment, the treated cocoa cake was dried under vacuum and ground to a fine powder. This fine powder was analyzed for the following: pH (in 10% aqueous solution), color in water (using Hunterlab with 25% water slurry of powder), in milk (visually with 4% milk solution of powder) Color, fineness (wetness determined as a percentage through a 75 μm screen) and flavor in warm water (using 4% powder, 5% sugar and hot water). The pH, color and fineness are shown in Table 2. Table 3 shows a range of pH and color values for a typical cocoa powder.

  The color values in Table 2 indicate the strong color development of the cocoa cake treated with water. Test 1 and Test 2 show L values between the typical alkalinized red cocoa L value and the typical alkalinized dark brown cocoa L value, the L value of test 3 is Having an L value between the L value of alkalized red cocoa and the value of medium alkalinized brown cocoa. A lower C value corresponds to a less brilliant and grayish hue. The H value did not change significantly during water treatment, indicating that the powder remained brown and did not show the red shade typical of alkalinized cocoa powder. Overall, the color values indicate that the natural dark cocoa of the present invention is truly dark brown compared to conventional natural cocoa. The color observed in milk confirms the result of the measured cacao value.

  The flavor of rich natural cocoa is very different from normal natural cocoa and alkalinized cocoa. Typical natural cocoa is acidic, astringent, bitter, may have some fruity scent, and may have some further origin-specific scent. In typical alkalinized cocoa, the sour scent of natural cocoa is replaced by an increasing alkaline impact, making the overall cocoa impact more intense and reducing astringency. The intensity of these scents is determined by the degree of alkalinization.

  The dark natural cocoa of the present invention has a pleasant cocoa impact and exhibits a slight spice-like aroma, a slight sour aroma and a very slight astringent aroma. Test 2 had a degree of roasted scent and Test 1 had a slightly stronger roasted scent. The natural rich cocoa of the present invention differs from the flavor of conventional natural or alkalinized cocoa products. The natural dark cocoa color of the present invention is also on the dark side of the overall color spectrum to produce a color impact similar to that of a moderately alkalinized cocoa with the natural cocoa flavor. For example, it can be mixed with conventional natural cocoa in a ratio of 1: 2.

Example 2
A compound coating was prepared using the dark natural cocoa product of Example 1. White base and cocoa base were prepared using the formulations in Table 4.

  The cocoa powders used were commercially available natural cocoa (N), commercially available red cocoa (R), commercially available black cocoa (B), Example 1 test 1 cocoa, test 2 cocoa and test 3 cocoa. It was. The white base and cocoa base were mixed to make a product with a cocoa content of 1% to 15%. The L value of each product is evaluated and shown in FIG.

  FIG. 1 shows a coating of a dark natural cocoa compound coating compared to a coating prepared with commercial natural cocoa (N), a coating prepared with commercial red cocoa (R) and a coating prepared with commercial black cocoa (B). Indicates the color depth. The L value of the compound coating containing cocoa from Test 3 is between the coating made from natural (N) cocoa and the coating made from red (R) cocoa. 75-85% of the cocoa from Test 3 is required to have the same L value as the coating containing natural (N) cocoa. The L value of test 2 cocoa in the coating is low compared to the L value of red (R) cocoa in the coating, and 60 to 80 of test 2 cocoa to achieve the same L value as natural (N) cocoa in the coating. %is necessary. The cocoa-containing coating from Test 1 is the darkest coating made with the dark naturalized cocoa of Example 1 and 50% of the cocoa from Test 1 to achieve the same L value in the coating as the natural (N) cocoa. % To 70% is required.

  The a and b measurement values of the compound coating made in this example were also obtained and are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. The a-values of the coating containing the dark natural cocoa from Test 1, the coating containing the dark natural cocoa from Test 2 and the coating containing the dark natural cocoa from Test 3 have a coating with red (R) cocoa and a natural (N) cocoa. Low compared to the a value of the coating. The b value of the coating containing cocoa in Test 3 is about the same as the coating with red (R) cocoa and is lower than the b value of the coating containing natural (N) cocoa. The b value of the coating with the dark natural cocoa from Test 1 and the coating with the dark natural cocoa from Test 2 is low compared to the b value of the coating with the red (R) cocoa.

  The calculated C and H values are fairly similar in brightness and hue for the coating with the dark natural cocoa from Test 1 and the coating with the dark natural cocoa from Test 2, but the coating containing the cocoa from Test 3 It is shown to be slightly gray compared to the coating containing 1 cocoa and the coating containing test 2 cocoa. The three coatings comprising the dark natural cocoa of Example 1 are dark brown without the red hue of color typically found in alkalized cocoa.

  The data in this example shows that the amount of rich natural cocoa of the present invention required to achieve some L value in the compound coating is low compared to commercial natural (N) cocoa. This would be advantageous. This is because there is a possibility that cost reduction can be realized because less cocoa is used in producing foods containing such cocoa products.

Example 3
The flavor of the compound coating made with the rich natural cocoa of Example 1 was compared to a commercially available cocoa as a reference. The following blends were used: 10% commercial natural cocoa and 5% commercial red cocoa reference, 10% commercial natural cocoa and 5% test 1 containing 1 cocoa test 1, 10% Test 2 containing commercial natural cocoa and 5% test 2 cocoa, and test 3 containing 10% commercial natural cocoa and 5% test 3 cocoa 3. Three tests were tested against the reference.

  A group of 17 experienced panelists were asked to use a scale ranging from -6 to +6 for descriptors typical of compound coatings. The average of the evaluation is calculated, and the result is shown in the radar chart of FIG.

  The blend containing cocoa from test 2 and the blend containing cocoa from test 3 score very similar except for the sour / acidic impact, which is very similar to the reference coating containing the reference cocoa. It was similar to. The blend containing cocoa from Test 1 was less sweet and had a higher impact of cocoa / chocolate scent, sour / sour scent and roasted scent.

Example 4
The blend of Example 3, which contains dark natural cocoa from Test 1, Test 2 and Test 3, the reference natural cocoa powder (Ref) and the reference natural cocoa powder (Red) mixed with the red cocoa and the all red cocoa A cake was also tested. A cake was made using a conventional recipe and this cake had 5.4% cacao. The blends evaluated included 2/3 (3.6% of the recipe) of the reference natural cocoa or the reference natural cocoa blended with the dark natural cocoa of Example 1, or 5.4% red cocoa.

  All cakes evaluated in this example had similar baking performance, height and shape. The only exception was a cake made with reference natural cacao, which was lower in height. The color of the cake containing the cacao from test 1 was darkest and was a brown that was stronger than the reddish shade as compared to the reference blend. The cakes containing the cocoa from Test 2 and the cake containing the cocoa from Test 3 are similar in color and intensity, have a strong brown color compared to one of the reference cocoa, and slightly lighter than the other reference cocoa. It was a strong brown.

  The flavor of these cakes was evaluated by a group of seven experienced testers. The radar chart of the result of taste evaluation is shown in FIG. Cakes containing Ref blended cocoa (3.6% standard natural cocoa and 1.8% standard red cocoa) are more sour and have some bitter and earthy aroma not found in Red blends. Had. The cake containing the cocoa from Test 1 was more sour and had a bitter, burnt and woody aroma not found in the Ref sample. The cake with test 2 cacao had a strong chocolate scent compared to the Ref sample and also had a spicey, woody, burnt and fruity scent. The cake containing the cocoa from Test 3 had a stronger chocolate scent but was otherwise similar to the Ref sample.

  The cocoa from Test 1 was also used in cookies and compared to cookies made with medium / red alkalized cocoa. Cookies made with cacao from Test 1 were a strong brown color compared to the alkalized powder.

Example 5
The cocoa sample blends evaluated with the compound coating of Example 3 (Test 1, Test 2, Test 3 and Ref) were also evaluated with pudding and compared to lightly alkalized cocoa (LA). The following pudding recipe was used: 1 package of JELL-O blended vanilla instant pudding, 3 cups of 2% milk, and 25 grams of cocoa (2.7 wt%). As seen in previous examples, the cocoa in Test 1 was darker and more intense brown compared to the Ref blend in the pudding. Test 2 cocoa in the pudding was darker and more intense brown compared to the Ref blend in the pudding. The puddings made with the cocoa from test 1 and the cocoa from test 2 were clearly darker and more intense brown than the pudding made with lightly alkalized cocoa.

  Flavor evaluation was also performed in pudding, and the results are shown in the radar chart of FIG. Consistent with previous examples, the cocoa from Trial 1 in the pudding was sour and less scent like chocolate and milk than the Ref cocoa. The pudding containing the cocoa from Test 2 was sweeter than the pudding containing the Ref cocoa, and the cocoa / chocolate, milky and roasted aroma was weak. The pudding containing the cacao of Test 3 was less sweet than the pudding containing the Ref cacao, and had a strong aroma like chocolate and milk.

Example 6
The natural dark cocoa of Example 1 was also evaluated with Greek yogurt. CHOBANI brand Greek yogurt was mixed with blends of reference cocoa, test 1 cocoa and test 2 cocoa at concentrations of 3% and 5% cocoa. In the two samples, 4% and 6% sugar was also added to offset the bitterness. The five samples evaluated included: 3% reference cocoa; 1.5% reference cocoa and 1.5% test 1 cocoa; 1.5% reference cocoa and 1.5% test. 2 cocoa; 2% reference cocoa, 1% test 1 cocoa and 4% sugar; and 2.6% reference cocoa, 1.3% test 1 cocoa and 6% sugar. From the evaluation of the various samples, the last sample, 2.6% reference cocoa, 1.3% test 1 cocoa and 6% sugar, were more popular due to their color and refreshing chocolate flavor.

Example 7
Five samples of cocoa were prepared. Commercial natural cocoa (sample 1), 2/3 commercial natural cocoa and 1/3 reference red cocoa blend (Ref), 2/3 commercial natural cocoa and 1/3 test 2 natural The dark cocoa blend (Sample 2), 2/3 commercial natural cocoa and 1/3 Test 1 natural thick cocoa blend (Sample 3) were evaluated with ice cream. Ice cream was prepared using the following formulation: 315 ml half and half, 315 ml heavy whipping cream, 115 grams sugar, 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract and 15 grams cocoa sample. The ingredients were mixed, scraped off and frozen in an ice cream maker for about 30-40 minutes.

  The ice cream made with test 1 cacao and the ice cream made with test 2 cacao were darker than the ice cream made with the reference mix, with the cream containing test 1 cacao being the darkest. The color of the ice cream made with test 1 cocoa and the ice cream made with test 2 cocoa were similar to those made with lightly alkalized cocoa.

  Sensory evaluation by a panel of 14 experienced testers was performed on the ice cream prepared in this example. FIG. 7 shows a radar chart as a result of the evaluation. Ice cream made with natural cocoa (Sample 1) is the most sour, and ice cream made with cocoa from Test 2 (Sample 2) has a pronounced maple, caramel and / or spice flavor. The ice cream made from the cacao of Test 1 (Sample 3) had a slightly lower impact of chocolate / cacao compared to the other ice creams.

  The present disclosure has been described with reference to several exemplary embodiments, compositions, and uses thereof. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various substitutions, modifications, or combinations of any of the exemplary embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As such, the disclosure is not limited by the description of the exemplary embodiments, but by the claims appended at the time of initial application.

Claims (18)

A method for producing a dark brown natural cocoa product,
A step of mixing a cacao cake with water to produce a mixture,
Applying high pressure to the mixture, and drying the mixture to produce a dried cocoa cake;
Including
The method wherein the dark brown natural cocoa product is not alkalized.   The method of claim 1, further comprising grinding the dried cocoa cake into a dark brown natural cocoa powder.   The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the water content of the mixture is from about 27% to about 35%.   The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the elevated temperature is from about 5 psi to about 22 psi.   The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the mixture is subjected to high pressure for a period of about 20 minutes to 40 minutes.   The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the mixture is at a temperature of less than about 125 ° C.   The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the mixture is at a temperature of about 85C to 120C. 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of grinding cocoa nibs, shelled cocoa beans, or a combination thereof to produce cocoa liquor, and squeezing the cocoa liquor to produce cocoa butter and the cocoa cake. Method.   9. The method of claim 8, further comprising roasting the cocoa nibs, the shelled cocoa beans, or combinations thereof.   The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of mixing the dark brown natural cocoa powder and the cocoa powder.   The method of claim 10, wherein the cocoa powder is natural.   The method of claim 10, wherein the cocoa powder is alkalized. L value of about 10 to about 15,
A value of about 4 to about 6.2;
A b value of about 3.5 to about 6.0, and a pH of less than about 6
Natural cocoa products including.   14. The natural cocoa product of claim 13, wherein the pH is from about 5.1 to about 6.0.   15. A natural cocoa product according to claim 13 or 14, which is a cocoa powder.   16. The natural cocoa product of claim 15, wherein the cocoa powder has a fineness that passes at least 98% through a 200 mesh screen.   15. A natural cocoa product according to claim 13 or 14, having a calculated C value of about 5 to about 10.   15. A natural cocoa product according to claim 13 or 14, having a calculated H value of about 42 to about 49.